1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a transportable container of bulk goods and more particularly a packaging system for filling and forming the transportable container of bulk goods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Systems for packaging a plurality of bulk goods in transportable containers are known in the art. Typical transportable containers utilized for the transport of bulk goods are inefficient, do not have a very large volume, and often require a large amount of manual labor to be used in filling and handling of the transportable container. It is further known in the art to apply a stretch wrap about a plurality of individual products stacked on a pallet to stabilize the products for shipping in bulk.
One such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,624. The '624 patent discloses a method of producing a transportable container of bulk goods. To begin, a bag is placed through the frame opening of a slip frame former which surrounds a portion of the bag. The bag receives the bulk goods from a feed source. A stretch wrap is disposed radially about a bottom support and a portion of the slip frame former to initially form the transportable container. At least one of the slip frame former and the bottom support moves relative to other in response to the fill level of the bulk goods in the bag. During filling, the slip frame former is maintained at a position that surrounds the fill level of the bulk goods in the bag. As the fill level increases in the bag, previously disposed portions of stretch wrap are disengaged from the slip frame former to squeeze the filled portion of the bag and lock together the bulk goods as additional portions of stretch wrap are disposed around the slip frame former.
Another such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,658. The '658 patent discloses a method of palletizing peat moss in a bulk compressed form. The method holds a predetermined quantity of peat moss stacked vertically on a pallet to be confined to a desired, compressed shape. The '658 patent further discloses that the peat moss is downwardly compressed directly onto the pallet so as to form the peat moss into a coherent, shape-retaining body. The body of compressed peat moss maintains a structural integrity for a period of time sufficient to permit wrapping thereof. Such a body of compressed peat moss is then wrapped to retain the peat moss in the compressed form on the pallet. The wrapping unit used wraps a plastic film material around the outer surface of the peat moss body.
Another such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,970. The '970 patent discloses a method and apparatus for wrapping an outer wrap around layers of products on a pallet. The system of the '970 patent uses four guides, with one of the guides being disposed on each side of the load being wrapped, which act as a barrier between the layers of products and the outer wrap. To begin, the pallet is placed at a location adjacent the guides and layers of products are added to the pallet. The products have a perimeter of a given shape, and are disposed in an array on the pallet to form the layers of products. As the layers of products are added to the pallet, the pallet is moved downwardly from the guides to allow for the outer wrap to be applied to the products to secure and stabilize them.
Another such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 7,707,801. The '801 patent discloses an apparatus for dispensing a predetermined fixed amount of pre-stretched film based upon the girth of the load. A film dispenser is mounted on a rotating ring that allows for the movement of the film dispenser about the load being wrapped. Based upon the girth of the load to be wrapped, an amount of pre-stretched film to be dispensed for each revolution made by the rotating ring is determined. Once the amount of film to be dispensed per revolution is determined, a mechanical ratio of ring drive to final pre-stretch surface speed (i.e., number of pre-stretch roller revolution/ring rotation) is set. Thus, for each revolution of the film dispenser, a predetermined fixed amount of film is dispensed and wrapped around the load.
Another such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,276. The '276 patent discloses a device for feeding a granular material from a feed source to a container for transporting. The device includes a conduit for receiving a flow of granular material and further includes an outlet for delivering the granular material to the transportable container. The device includes a delivery system for delivering a stream of gas to the conduit to entrain and accelerate at least a portion of the granular material flowing therethrough. The device further includes an apparatus that directs the gas stream so that the granular material is propelled from the outlet in a plurality of directions. The apparatus provides for a more even distribution of the granular material in the transportable container. The desired effect of the device is to provide a distribution of polymer beads which results in a very efficient filling of the container.